The UK’s small businesses are feeling undervalued by large service providers, a new survey reveals.
According to a survey by online purchasing service Companeo, two-thirds of small businesses feel that they are being ignored by larger companies and receive poor customer service.
Consequently, this perception has deterred sixty-two per cent of small businesses from working with large service providers.
Andrew Blackwood, UK country manager at Companeo, commented: “We’ve seen a huge number of large organisations acknowledge the value of the small and medium-sized market and outline new models for servicing it.
“However, the results of the survey show that the reality of the situation falls far short of the promises made.”
Blackwood argued that poor customer service is significantly undermining these efforts.
“No matter how developed its small business channel, if a large enterprise doesn’t get the basics right and put an excellent customer service system in place, it will always find it difficult to forge new relationships with this market.”
According to Companeo, it’s up to larger organisations to ensure that small businesses feel valued and demonstrate an understanding of their needs.
© Crimson Business Ltd. 2007